The air this morning could certainly have been considered "crisp" at -5F. The air smells better when its cold here. I'm not sure if there is an actual reduction in the toxins or if its related to the lack of things actively decomposing. Whatever the case may be, it is pleasant in smell, just not in skin exposure.
Six brave souls ventured out into the morning chill for a 33 minute set. A had a curious question before the set. One of my students noted that his physical trainer suggested that he tense his abs while executing the form. Upon reflection, I find this to be a truly a bad idea. Part of the health benefit of this form is to relax, open up the body, the electrical, cardiovascular, the lungs, the digestive, etc. If you consciously tense a portion of the body throughout the form, you are defeating a large chunk of the purpose of practice. It would be the equivalent of practicing the game of pool to become a better pool player but in the mean time, I'm going to hang a 20 pound weight at one end of the pool cue to build arm strength. If you want to do ab work, do ab work. If you want to do T'ai Chi, do T'ai Chi and in so doing, it will help your abs (and your pool playing), but don't try to combine them. - As my instructor would often say, T'ai Chi helps everything. Not everything helps T'ai Chi.
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